Three government officials were dismissed from their posts
Sunday for lax supervision which has been blamed for the deadly
colliery gas blast that killed 13 miners in north China's Shanxi Province.
The explosion happened at about 2:00 PM Friday in Niuxinhui Coal
Mine in Huabeitun town, Ningwu county when 30 miners were working
underground, said Tan Shengwang, head of the county work safety
bureau.
The blast killed 11 people on the spot and injured another 11.
Eight miners managed to escape the accident scene. Two of the
wounded died later on the way to hospital, Tan added.
Lv Yuedong, the town Party chief, Wu Qiang, the town head, and
Wu Wansuo, chief of the town people's political consultative
conference, were sacked for lax supervision of coal mine
safety.
Local officials told Xinhua Saturday evening that mine's manager
Dang Liangrong has been detained and the mine's bank accounts
frozen.
The nine injured were in stable condition at No. 322 hospital in
Datong city, said doctors.
The coal mine is a licensed one, which is undertaking an
expansion project approved by the provincial coal industry
authorities.
An investigation team has been set up to find out the cause of
the blast.
Coal mines in China have an abominable safety record. Accidents
such as flooding, cave-ins and gas explosions occur frequently, due
to poor safety conditions and lax supervision by local
governments.
There were 2,945 coal mine accidents in 2006, in which 4,746
people died - a drop of 20 percent from the previous year but
nevertheless equivalent to 13 miner deaths per day, according to
the State Administration of Work Safety.
(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2007)